Z's Wild Magic (5e Variant Rule)
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Z's Wild Magic[edit]
I've seen a ton of Wild Magic surge tables and similar effects, but this is my personal take on it.
Triggering A Wild Magic Surge[edit]
There are three common triggers that can cause a Wild Magic Surge, as follows.
Wild Magic Zone[edit]
The most common trigger is when a creature attempts to cast a spell within a Wild Magic Zone, an area in which the weave of magic is tangled, the fabric of reality is tattered and frayed, and the rules that normally apply to magic are twisted upon themselves like someone tried to apply Algebra to a book instead of grammar.
An individual Wild Magic Zone is usually fairly small, and can be as small as a single 5ft sphere, but the largest known Zone is almost half a mile across. Wild Magic Zones comes in varying degrees of strength, but typically a Wild Magic Zone is uniform in strength across its entire area.
When a creature attempts to cast a spell within a Wild Magic Zone, they must roll a Surge Check - An ability check using their spellcasting ability modifier, to which they may add their Proficiency Bonus - Against a DC based on the Zone's strength, as shown below.
| d6 Result |
Zone Strength |
Surge Check DC |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Faint | 12 + the spell’s level. |
| 2 | Weak | 14 + the spell’s level. |
| 3 | Moderate | 16 + the spell’s level. |
| 4 | Strong | 18 + the spell’s level. |
| 5 | Very Strong | 20 + the spell’s level. |
| 6 | Deific | 22 + the spell’s level. |
If the caster's Surge Check fails, so does the spell; Instead, a Wild Magic Surge is triggered, and the caster must roll on the Wild Magic Surge tables below to determine the Surge's effects.
Fumbled Concentration[edit]
Occasionally when a spellcaster's focus and willpower falter, a spell can twist awry, turning into a Wild Magic Surge. Whenever a spellcaster rolls a natural 1 on a Constitution saving throw made to maintain concentration on a spell (Or made to finish casting a spell that was interrupted, if using the Risky Casting variant rule), a Wild Magic Surge is triggered, and they must roll on the Wild Magic Surge tables below to determine the Surge's effects.
Fumbled Scroll[edit]
Much like magic can warp into new shapes when a spellcaster loses control of it, the same can happen when a spellcaster tries to cast a spell using a spell scroll that is too powerful for them to control. When a spellcaster makes an ability check to attempt successfully to cast a spell from a scroll that is of a level they can't normally cast, and rolls a natural 1 on the ability check, a Wild Magic Surge is triggered, and they must roll on the Wild Magic Surge tables below to determine the Surge's effects.
Resolving A Wild Magic Surge[edit]
When a Wild Magic Surge is triggered, you must follow the steps below to determine the Surge's effects.
- Origin: You must roll a d20 and consult the Surge Origin table to determine the point on which the Surge is centered.
- Area: Once the Origin is determined, roll a d20 and consult the Surge Area table to determine the area affected by the Surge; This Area is centered on the Surge's point of Origin.
- Effect: Once the Area is determined, roll a d100 and consult the appropriate Surge Effect table for the level of the spell that triggered the Wild Magic Surge. If an effect allows a saving throw, the saving throw DC is equal to the original spell's save DC, +1d6.
Surge Origin[edit]
| d20 Result | Origin |
|---|---|
| 1-4 | Caster. |
| 5-8 | Random creature within 120ft of Caster. |
| 9 | Random object within 120ft of Caster. |
| 10-11 | Random point in space within 120ft of Caster. |
| 12-13 | Random point in space within 120ft of Target. |
| 14 | Random object within 120ft of Target. |
| 15-17 | Random creature within 120ft of Target. |
| 18-20 | Caster's original Target. |
Surge Area[edit]
| d20 Result | Area |
|---|---|
| 1-6 | Single 5ft cube, centered on Origin. |
| 7-12 | Sphere, centered on Origin. Radius of sphere is 1d6x5ft. |
| 13-16 | 5ft cube centered on primary Origin, plus 5ft cubes centered on 1d10 additional points of Origin. Roll Origin and Effect separately for each additional Origin. Do not roll Area again. |
| 17-19 | Sphere centered on primary Origin, plus Spheres centered on 1d10 additional points of Origin. Radius of each Sphere is 1d6x5ft. Roll Origin, Radius and Effect separately for each additional Origin. Do not roll Area again. |
| 20 | 300ft sphere, centered on Origin. 1d20x5ft sphere centered on Origin becomes a Wild Magic Zone; Roll 1d6 on the Wild Magic Zone Strength table to determine the strength of the new Zone. If Surge was triggered by a Wild Magic Zone, the new Zone overrides the old one. |
Surge Effect[edit]
Below are five Wild Magic Surge Effect tables, each tailored for a tier of play. When a spell triggers a Wild Magic Surge, you must roll on the Effect table for the level of spell that triggered the Surge (Determined by the spell slot that the spell was cast using, rather than the spell's level), as follows:
- Minor Effect: Roll on this table if the spell that triggered the Wild Magic Surge was a Cantrip.
- Moderate Effect: Roll on this table if the spell that triggered the Wild Magic Surge was cast as a 1st- or 2nd-level spell.
- Major Effect: Roll on this table if the spell that triggered the Wild Magic Surge was cast as a 3rd-, 4th- or 5th-level spell.
- Greater Effect: Roll on this table if the spell that triggered the Wild Magic Surge was cast as a 6th-, 7th- or 8th-level spell.
- Deific Effect: Roll on this table if the spell that triggered the Wild Magic Surge was cast as a 9th-level spell.
Minor Effect[edit]
| d% Result | Effect |
|---|---|
| 1 | The Wild Surge weakens and fizzles harmlessly in a brief shower of sparks that fills the Surge's area. |
| 2 | - |
| 3 | - |
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| 100 | The Wild Surge grows in strength. Roll on the Moderate Effect table to determine the Surge's effect. |
Moderate Effect[edit]
| d% Result | Effect |
|---|---|
| 1 | The Wild Surge weakens. Roll on the Minor Effect table to determine the Surge's effect. |
| 2 | - |
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| 100 | The Wild Surge grows in strength. Roll on the Major Effect table to determine the Surge's effect. |
Major Effect[edit]
| d% Result | Effect |
|---|---|
| 1 | The Wild Surge weakens. Roll on the Moderate Effect table to determine the Surge's effect. |
| 2 | - |
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| 100 | The Wild Surge grows in strength. Roll on the Greater Effect table to determine the Surge's effect. |
Greater Effect[edit]
| d% Result | Effect |
|---|---|
| 1 | The Wild Surge weakens. Roll on the Major Effect table to determine the Surge's effect. |
| 2 | - |
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| 100 | The Wild Surge grows in strength. Roll on the Deific Effect table to determine the Surge's effect. |
Deific Effect[edit]
| d% Result | Effect |
|---|---|
| 1 | The Wild Surge weakens. Roll on the Greater Effect table to determine the Surge's effect. |
| 2 | - |
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| 100 | Each creature within the Surge's Area gains one wish; If no creature is within the area, the Caster gains the wish. |
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